Schwabacher Road Nature Walk

Schwabacher Road is one of our favorite short drives in Grand Teton National Park. This road is located a few miles north of Moose on the 191 (right fork). It runs for a mere mile, and though it is not paved, it was in good enough shape for any passenger vehicle.

We love this road because it leads down to the Snake River where there is a beautiful nature trail. This trail is unmarked on park literature, and we call it a nature trail because it is only about two-thirds of a mile out and back. It is a perfect hike for anyone of any skill level, and we did see someone pushing a stroller along, though the path was not paved. In our opinion, this is the most beautiful place in the whole park. In fact, we saw a professional photographer taking bridal photos with the Tetons in the background.

After you park in the small lot, walk down toward the river and turn right. When we were there, the Snake was at flood levels, so it was a nasty, yucky brown. But walking just a few feet up the trail, we found a beautiful oasis of fresh, clear water. There is a little beaver pond with a few thin trees along the edge. Our boys loved spotting frogs in the shallow water, and we even saw a great blue heron wading slowly along looking for frogs, too.

The trail runs along the side of the pond, and the Tetons reflect in the surface. It doesn’t take long to see why this place is a favorite of photographers. We went along the edge of the pond for a third of a mile, and the trail continued on into the sagebrush, so we are not really sure how far it went. But we went far enough to make Schwabacher Road our number one recommended spot in Grand Teton National Park.